


The Bird Courtship

by booktick



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, Fondling, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Late Night Conversations, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, Neck Kissing, Playful Sex, Plot? I hardly knew Ye, Pre-Series, Pre-Video Game: Red Dead Redemption (2010), Pre-Video Game: Red Dead Redemption 2 (2018), Red Dead Redemption 2 Spoilers, Sleeping Bag Sex, Sleeping Together, and there was only one bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-26
Updated: 2019-01-26
Packaged: 2019-10-16 10:00:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17547545
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booktick/pseuds/booktick
Summary: Hosea and Dutch have a late night conversation years before Blackwater.





	The Bird Courtship

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own none of this franchise.

* * *

The night was alive, with crickets in the bushes and owls in the trees. He had his eyes shut, curled up under the blanket he shared with Dutch. It wasn't the most pleasant of situations but he made do. They all had to. They'd been on the road for weeks now, stopping to camp every so often or until Marston and Arthur started to complain. Poor boys, they both didn't need any of this, deserved a good bed and a meal that didn't taste like salt and dirt. 

They had rode for most of the day this time, only taking up camp after he had nudged Dutch enough. They'd wake a little after dawn to get an early foot on their travels, maybe find a, hopefully secluded, nearby town with a hotel to stay in for a few days. It might even lighten Dutch up some. The man had been a bundle of nerves for a week or so. It wouldn't do any of them good to let it fester.

The summer heat didn't help none either, the four of them had nearly stripped down to nothing but their britches. At least tonight the world was the tiniest bit kind to them. It had given them the courtesy of an occasional gust of cool air across their ankles and wrists just before the sweat would return. Summer could be a mean bastard when it wanted to be.

Hosea was so lost in his thoughts he didn't hear Dutch move. He kept his eyes shut, hand tucked under his cheek, feigning sleep. A bare arm came over his waist and remained there, heavy and hot like the Summer. He didn't move a muscle, only letting his breaths stick to something loud and low. He had no idea if Dutch bought what he was selling until he felt the lips at the edge of his ear.

"You ain't asleep, old man." Dutch murmured, "Don't you go tryin' to play me." The man's breath tickled, left goosebumps to scatter along his ear and neck. 

"Go to sleep, Dutch," Hosea whispered, "Don't wake the boys."

Dutch whispered back, "Don't wake the boys, he says." His hips pressed up against Hosea's lower back.

"They've had a hard night, Dutch." Hosea tried to turn his head away further from Dutch's mouth, pressing his face against his arm.

Dutch chuckled, "Ain't the only thing that's hard tonight, Hosea." Those parted lips pressed a gentle kiss to Hosea's neck.

"It's too late to mess around like this," Hosea huffed against his arm.

The arm around him shifted some as Dutch moved even closer, " _Ain't no such thing_."

It's rough fingers that spread over Hosea's stomach, nails scratching some as all five fingers eventually slid lower. Hosea lets his eyes open some, he can still see the faded green grass not too far away from them, a sort of brown highlighted over all of it. Almost looked like a small fire broke out a while ago. The farmers around this area must have been suffering with crops this season. And how Dutch was feeling on him, he figured it wasn't just the farmers that were suffering this season.

The blanket that mostly covered Hosea was shoved aside, had been in the way of Dutch's plan for the night he figured. Dutch didn't mind putting in the work when he wanted to but time wasn't on their side. The boys could wake at any sound or movement, could very well spring up from their own blankets, finding their so called father figure and leader in mid thrust if Dutch was gonna have his way. Arthur would never let him live it down.

"Dutch-" Hosea gasped as Dutch's fingers found their goal. His voice was nearly as rough as Dutch's.

"Mhmmm?" Dutch hummed right into his ear, "You have some wise words to share, ol' great Hosea?"

"If you're ju-" another gasp as Dutch slid his fingers in an upward motion over Hosea's clothed cock, "If you're just gonna patronize me-"

It was Dutch's turn to gasp, " _Patronize?_ " Hosea resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Patronize _you_ , old friend?"

The rough fingers cupped Hosea through the clothing firmly, holding Hosea literally by the balls, "Never, Hosea. _Never_." But Hosea could feel Dutch's smile as lips pressed to his cheek this time.

Hosea let his head turn back enough to look up at the night sky. The stars twinkled at him, as if to say hello. He could feel the burn of Dutch's stare on him as soon as he did that. But he didn't care much this time. The night sky...it just felt right, like a hug from a friend. He let his head tilt back on the makeshift pillow he and Dutch shared, a sack of potatoes if he were being honest. A pillow was a pillow when living from job to job.

"C'mon, Hosea," Dutch murmured against his jaw, "For old times' sake." Dutch _always_ said that. The line was older than they were when they met.

The fingers that had cupped Hosea so delicately had moved to unbutton his britches. He wondered if he had worn a one piece how Dutch might've felt about that. Would Dutch have had a clever comment? Probably. It made his lips tug up some, gave a little crinkle at the corner of his eyes. Dutch gave another kiss to his neck, this one had teeth to it. Hosea shut his eyes for a deep breath before he opened them again. The night sky remained as bright as ever, the Moon being a witness to the pair's _activities_ tonight.

He could feel the splash of air that hit his thighs as soon as Dutch tugged his britches down further. His cock was half hard since Dutch started getting handsy. He shifted his weight again, to better get the clothing down. He didn't need a rash on his ass from clothing rubbing as Dutch did his business. Dutch rewarded his action with a bite at his shoulder, just another mark he'd have to hide from the boys. He could just hear Arthur Morgan now, ' _Get attacked by a wolf there, Hosea?_ '. That boy had a smart mouth on him sometimes. 

He turned his head towards Dutch now. Dutch took to him like a man in need from thirst. Dutch's free hand cupped Hosea's face as his other fingers were sliding across hot flesh down below. The touch was remarkable really, though he didn't want to stroke Dutch's ego right away. Not all touches from Dutch van der Linde were as desirable as this. Hosea had seen what those hands could do, more than once. Too many damn times. 

He could hear Dutch's heavy pants, filling up his kiss marked ears. He could even hear his own hearbeat, a thunderous thing really. His heart was faster than a jackrabbit by then, ready to break free from his ribs. Hosea kissed Dutch as carefully as he could on the cheek, much kinder than the kisses Dutch gave his neck. The lips were bruising, sucking on him and nibbling--full of desperation and want. Dutch had taken to a few saloons they had passed in prior weeks but it was never enough for ol' Dutch...never was enough. Dutch always found a way to touch him afterwards, a brush of the hand on the elbow or a pat on the back from a job gone right.

And they were together in the end. He wasn't sure how many more nights they had left for that sort of business, not with the life they led. Dutch was his best friend. He wanted to see him happy. He wanted to see him  _alive_. So with moments like these...even if they did rouse him from a deeply sought after slumber or was occuring under nights they really, really shouldn't be occurring...he still found his way back to Dutch in the end. Who else did he have to turn to anymore?

Hosea tilted his head down, his forehead pressed against Dutch's jaw as a sweat fixed itself along his neck. The cool air that occasionally swept through didn't help anymore. The heat flopping around inside was growing heavier by the second. His hips lifted at the next stroke from Dutch, and again after that. He let himself smile here and there as Dutch kept murmuring things in his ear, earlier annoyance replaced with his own sort of playfulness. His hand reached up, knuckles brushed over Dutch's bristled jaw.

The heat slid into his thighs, had his legs begin to tremble fierce. The blanket was almost all together tossed away by now. Dutch had shifted his weight again, pressing his own hard on against Hosea's hip, still clothed in fact. Dutch began to rub at him, grinding really. Hosea didn't move to stop him, too fixed on the hand that was wrapped around him, too lost in the sea of pleasure. He tried to swallow the heat and it only grew until uncontrolled soft gasps flooded Dutch's ear.

It only seemed to egg Dutch on as the man immediately pressed lips to Hosea's after that. Teeth raked across Hosea's tongue as he was kissed deeply and fully. Hosea tilted his head back against their potato sack of a pillow. It still wasn't comfortable but he didn't mind none. He let his fingers slip into Dutch's hair and tug. Dutch gasped into Hosea's mouth as he tugged each time. If John and Arthur weren't awake by now, then bless them.

He could feel the heat burst as soon as Dutch whispered against his lips again, " _I love you, Hosea._ " Poor Dutch's hand, having to he soaked like that. It was Dutch's fault though. Dutch would have to go around with the smell of him on his hands for a while. The thought sent tingles to his toes all over again. He had to resist the urge to get too excited by the thought. His hand slid down the back of Dutch's head and went across his own chest for a moment, feeling his heartbeat.

As the tingles circled at his toes and went to the bottom of his feet, he let the heat consume him. His whimper was hushed like his gasps, thank God. He didn't want to cry out and have some poor farmer a few miles out wake up and wonder if his prized cow just broke a leg. Dutch kept grinding against Hosea anyway and it only had a few more splashes of heat spread through his belly. It was a few good deep breaths before his good friend, Dutch van der Linde, grunted rather obscenely against his jaw, nipping lazily a moment later.

Hosea panted, riding out the rest of his waves until they had both came down from their high. It was a good way to get tired, that much was sure. Hosea let his eyelids droop for a few breaths, wetting his drying mouth with his tongue. He could still feel the bite marks Dutch left on his tongue and on his lips. He wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand. He barely noticed how Dutch wiped his cum off on the faded grass they laid upon. 

"Hosea..." Dutch murmured as he pressed his nose against Hosea's jaw again, "You'll always be at my side, right?"

"Dutch?" Hosea's mind was still a little foggy at the moment.

"I said," A lazy kiss was pressed to Hosea's ear this time, "If things ever get bad...you won't ever leave my side...?" 

Hosea took another deep breath as his eyes went back to the night sky, "Things won't get _that_ bad, Dutch."

A hand slid down Hosea's arm, to interlock their fingers. Dutch's voice was rougher than his fingers ever were, "Please... _Hosea_."The rest of the sentence, the ' _I need to hear you say it_ ' went unsaid.

Hosea knew what it meant to Dutch. He knew what Dutch wanted from him. The confirmation that they were partners until the troubled end of this lawless life. Dutch could gun down any man that threatened his family, without a second thought to it, but Dutch could easily get lost inside his worries like any of them could. It frightened him at times...what Dutch might do, be capable of, if he wasn't around to reassure him. They weren't exactly spring chicken anymore.

But Dutch van der Linde was the closest friend he had in ages, maybe in his entire life, 'sides Bessie of course. He loved Dutch and Dutch loved him. And if Dutch needed an answer, he'd give him one.

" _Never_ , Dutch," Hosea watched as the stars kept twinkling down at them, "I could never do that."


End file.
